Dump-car safety foot-guard.



A.. E. ZIMMER.

DUMP CAR SAFETY FOOT GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 12, 1915.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

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ALBERT n. 'ZI MER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, nssienon ro nnrnnrnrsn RAILWAY' EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFILLINOIS;

DUMP-CAR SAFETY FCOT-GUARD.

' To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT E. ZIMMER, a citizen of Norway, residlng at Chicago, in

the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful linprovement in Dump-Car Safety Foot- Guards, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing a longitudinally extending operating shaft 21.

ings, forming a part of this specification;

This invention relates to improvements dump car safetv foot guards. I

In the unloading of dump cars, andmore particularly that type of dump cars having hinged side dump fioor doors, it has been found that injury often results to the foot of the operator, due to the fact that while standing on the step ladder at theend of the car, the floor doors are released with the full weight of the-load thereon which doors, in

- swinging downwardly catch and injure the toe of the operators foot, which extends through the step ladder into the path of the door or some part carried thereby.

- The object of my invention is to provide simple, eiiicient and inexpensive means adaptable to all types of dump cars where the above described difliculties areencountered, and which will effectively prevent injury to the operators andwhich at the same time will be in full compliance with all regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commission and other bodies which regulate railway practice. 7 f

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an end portion of adump car showing my improvements in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substan-, tially on the broken line 22 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows and Fig. 3 is-a detail perspective view of the foot guard proper.

In said drawing the side wall of the dump car is designated generally by the reference A, the same consisting of a vertical portion .is usual, a series of hand-grabs l616 are secured to the side of the car at the right hand end, as viewed bythe observer, and

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

Application filed. March 12, 1915. Serial No. 13,846.

below the hand-grabs is ,a step ladder B which consists of side straps 17 and 18,-.

lower step 19 and next hi her step-20, said steps being arranged vertically, in the usual manner, and below the normal floor level of the car (see Fig. 2).

Each mechanism consists of a hub 22 secured to the shaft, eachhub having a l1nk.23 pivotally connected therewith. For

each operating mechanism each door 13 is provided with an extended bracket or arm 2% to which is adjustably pivotally connected a hook 25. Pivotally connected to the book 25 and to the hi1 I 23 are a series of pivotally connected links 26, 27 and 28, the arrangement being such that when the doors are in closed position, the hook 25 rests uponthe' hub attached to the shaft and thus relieves the strain on" the link mechanism. In Fig. 2, the dotted line 29 indicates the path of travel of the outermost portion secured to the door, and as will be observed by viewing Fig. 1, this path of travel isdirectly behind the, step ladder. 7 1

Heretofore, the operator hasbeen injured by placing his foot upon the step 20 and extending it through the. ladder to such an extent that when the door operating mechanism isreleased and the end door is allowed to fall with the load thereon, the extension on the particular door shown (and the door itself in those constructions where the floor door extends out to the vertical plane of the side of the can) catches the operators foot and thereby causes injury. To obviate this, I have provided a guard designated generally by the reference C, which, as shown, comprises a plate having an upper inclined portion 30, short vertical section 31 and horizontal portion 32, the latter being secured to the lower step 19, and the upper portion 30 being rivetedor otherwise suitably secured to a cross strap 33 which isriveted at its ends to the side members 17 and 18 of the steps. As shown in the drawing, the guard C isof a width approximating that of the end door operating mechanism, asthis is all that would be required in the particular construction shown. In other constructions, however, where the door itself is extended susbtantially to the verti- Wide as the steps themselves, in order to, pre'- shown and described, but contemplate all 'changesand modifications that come within I inner side thereof, said guard plate limiting the amount to which an operator may vent the operator from sticking his foot through the ladder into the path ofjthe downwardly swinging door or part attachedi p .t s i g V.

thereto.

a As clearly cient clearance provided by the foot guard to permit-the operator to put'hisfooton the lower and next higher-step to secure a firm foot hold. At the same'time'there is providedsuflicient clearance between the guard and the'arm of the door to comply with In terstate' Commerce Commission regulations. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that my improvements may be embodied in other structures than thosefherein shown,

the footguard herein shown and described being designed more particularly'for one I do not wish to be confined,

type of car. 7 therefore, to the SPGClfiCCOIlStILlCtlOn herein the'scope of the claims appended hereto; I I claim: i

-1. In a dump car provided with a ladder and a hinged door, the edge ofwhich is movable in a path adjacent to said l'addeiya'foot guard located on the inner side of the steps ,of'said ladderand in the clearance of said: 7 door-edge, whereby to prevent an operator from projecting his foot through the ladder into the path of said hinged door.

2. The combination with a'dump car'having a movable, sidedump, floor door and aside ladder adjacent the path of movement of said door, of a foot guard strip located on the side ol the ladder nearest-said door adapted to prevent an operator from projecting his foot through the ladder to a positionlin the path of the movable door.

' 3. In a'dumpYc'ar having a hinged door,' the combination with steps adjacent the path' of movement of saiddo'or, of a guard plate located between the path of movement of said door and said steps.

4. The combination with a dump car havshown in Fig. 2, there issufli adjacent said door and below-the normal load carr in aosition thereof and a 'u'ard 1: a plate secured to said steps on the side adjacent the doorand 1n the-clear of the door and all parts movable therewith as the latcomprising a railway car step ladder'havin'g a plurality of steps and a plate attached. thereto, said plate being'located on the inner side of said stepsand extending vertically 'past the same and arranged to limit'the.

amount to whichan operators foot=canbe extended through the ladder on any step, said plate 'beingof less width than the'width t n p 65 ofthe' ladder.

6. The combination with a dump'c'ar having ahinged, side dump, floor door, and operating mechanism forsaid door,of a. step ladder secured to the side of sai'dc'ar'near one end thereof, and located below the normal, load carrying-position of said door, and a guard plate secured to said steps on the extend his foot through the step ladder in front of the door operating mechanism.

7; The combination with a dump carhav ing a hinged, side dump, floor door,and-op-' eratingimechanism therefor, of a step ladder secured to the side or" the car near one'endthereof, sa1d door and the operating mechatendingjstrip secured to the step la'ddenand' a" plate having the" upper end thereof-secured to said strip and its lower end securedto the. lower step of the ladder.

-Inwitness that I claimthe foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 27th day of Feb, 1915.

' VVitnesses':

CARRIE Gr. RANZ, a ELIZABETH M. Bnrr'rfl V ALBERT E. ZnviMEn; 7

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, '3 V Washington, D. C. i i 

